Harvey I. Chafitz, 84, a longtime resident of Framingham, passed away peacefully at home Sunday, December 8, 2024. Born in Norwich, CT, he was the son of the late Carl & Miriam (Taras) Chafitz, and the beloved husband of the late Priscilla “Pepi” (Beckwith) Chafitz.
Harvey was raised and educated in Fall River, MA and was a graduate of Northeastern University. He served his country honorably in the United States Army. His first post was in Anchorage, Alaska where he and Pepi experienced The Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964. It registered a 9.2 on the Richter Scale…the second largest earthquake on record. After his active service and transitioning to the Army reserves, he worked as an accountant at DuPont then moved into retail sales. First with Hub Distributors, a bicycle, parts, and accessory company. Following that, he became a franchise owner with the educational toy store, Learning Express…located in the old Lechmere Mall in Framingham. Later, he held various other sales positions. He retired from the United States Army as LTC. Colonel.
Known for his “Dad jokes”, Harvey had a wonderful sense of humor and knew when and how to make someone laugh. He constantly thought of others and his generosity manifested itself in numerous donations to multiple charities. He loved food, all types from chili dogs in Worcester to escargot in Paris. Most of all he loved to travel and in his later years was able to travel the world, from London to Hawaii, from Alaska to Scotland. He was fascinated by the landscapes, architecture and loved museums.
In recent years, he participated in activities with fellow senior citizens at the Callahan Center in Framingham. He enjoyed everything from bus trips to Maine to chair volleyball and bingo. He was there so often; he was dubbed the Mayor of the Callahan Center.
Harvey loved his family and is survived by his son James and daughter Jennifer, his brother Steve Chafitz, late brother Jeffrey, sister in law Arleen, and sister in law Ellyn Chafitz.
Family and friends will honor and remember Harvey’s life by celebrating his funeral services in the Norton, McKinney & Lawler Funeral Home, 53 Beech Street, Framingham on Sunday, December 15th at 11am with military honors. His interment will take place on Monday morning in Edgell Grove Cemetery, 53 Grove St. Framingham at 10 o’clock.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in Harvey’s name to: The Callahan Senior Center, 535 Union Ave. Framingham, MA 01702
To share a memory with Harvey’s family, kindly visit www.nortonfuneralhome.com
McCarthy McKinney Lawler Funeral Home